Isla Craig Walks in the Shadows Through “The Becoming” (premiere)

“A stranger comes to your house ranting and raving and demanding your attention. What do you find when you follow them into the dark of night? How do you begin to accept that which frightens you the most?” These are the questions which Isla Craig poses on her new single, “The Becoming”. The haunting tune is also the title track of Craig’s third full-length album, which is set to be released in June 2018 via Pleasence.

At a baseline, many may credit the Toronto singer-songwriter’s music as folk. It’s not hard to understand why with the heart of Craig’s music focused on ruminative lyricism that keeps listeners thinking and engrossed. Albeit, the music that she brings to the forefront with her innovative arrangements fuses soulful, blues-laden stylings into the mix for something truly idiosyncratic. She takes the layered harmonic intro to “The Becoming”, for example, and pairs it with a blend of analog and digital instrumentation. That effortlessly drives it forward, with Craig slinking her vocals into the song’s twilit landscape as it slithers from one cunning metamorphosis the other. “Multi-dimensional” is a good way to put it.

Aside from her work as a solo artist, fans of Craig’s work may be interested in her contributions to the music of Jennifer Castle, IC/JC/VC, and the Cosmic Range. Albeit, all eyes are also on the upcoming release of The Becoming sometime this June.